One device for the storage of electronic data is a single-reel cartridge containing a length of recordable magnetic tape. One common type of cartridge employs a tape-feed reel with teeth disposed along a peripheral edge of the tape-feed reel and a toothed brake which serves to stop rotation of the reel by interlocking with the toothed reel. The tape is fed from the cartridge to a reading device through a hinged door in the surface of the cartridge. These cartridges are widely used throughout many industries, corporations, and similar entities for storage of crucial data, files, and information because they are inexpensive and capable of storing immense quantities of information.
These cartridges, however, can be damaged and rendered unusable by being dropped, or by the ordinary wear that arises from use over an extended period, such as several years. For example, the housing and door of these cartridges are currently composed of a composite material, such as polycarbonate reinforced with glass fibers. While these fibers make the plastic quite strong, they render the plastic brittle and susceptible to breakage. Breakage of either the door or the housing during impact leaves the data inaccessible and may even destroy the tape carrying the data. Additionally, routine use of the cartridge can erode the plastic, generating debris that can damage the tape, the reel or the reading device, resulting in increased errors in reading or recording the data.
Second, the teeth of the tape reel and of the brake can be quite fragile, and can break off when the cartridge is dropped. These loose teeth can damage the tape or the reading device, and can also become wedged under the reel, preventing normal rotation. Also, if the brake is no longer able to stop rotation of the wheel because of broken teeth, the leading end of the tape may get pulled into the reel, making retrieval of the tape impossible to the user.
Although the data can often be retrieved from a damaged cartridge in some cases, the delay incurred by the cartridge failure can be extremely costly to a company in terms of both time and money. In other cases, data critical to the function of a business or other enterprise can be irretrievably lost. Accordingly, a more rugged and durable device for storing such valuable and often irreplaceable data is urgently needed.